Green COZY III N34PC
11 February 1997 · San Martin, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 11 February 1997 at about 19:15 local time, a Green COZY III registered N34PC was involved in an accident near San Martin, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- San Martin, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 37.1008, -121.5993
- Aircraft
- Green COZY III
- Registration
- N34PC
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Stockton → San Jose
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX97LA102
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
A loss of engine power due to fuel contamination. A factor in the accident is the aircraft design, which routes hydraulic lines through the fuel tank.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot had throttled back for a descent but when he attempted to return to level flight, throttle movement failed to produce an increase in rpm. After several unsuccessful throttle movements, he declared an emergency and was directed toward the nearest airport. When it became apparent to him that he would not reach the runway, he made an emergency off airport, gear-up landing short of the airport boundary. Fuel was present in the carburetor and gascolator. The left main tank was empty but the right tank was nearly full. The fuel selector was found positioned on the right tank. The pilot reported contamination in the right tank and gascolator. Dirt was reportedly found at the bottom of the gascolator and red colored oil globules were found on the gascolator screen. Both dirt and oil were found in fuel from the right tank. The pilot told FAA inspectors that hydraulic lines are routed through both fuel tanks. There were no other deficiencies identified.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Aug 1997 | Airbus A300 B4-203 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Pan American World Airways, In | No injuries | - |
| 15 Aug 1997 | Bell UH-1H | Tahoe City, California, United States | Usda / Forest Service | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1997 | Cessna 152 | Julian, California, United States | Plus One Flyers, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 11 Oct 1997 | Schweizer 2-32 | Warner Springs, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Oct 1997 | Bellanca 7ECA | Tracy, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Oct 1997 | Extra Flugzeugbau EA-300 | Castaic, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |